Device system and method for abating accidental release of a hand held sporting implement such as a baseball bat

ABSTRACT

A new and improved device and system for abating accidental release of a sporting implement such as a baseball bat from a player&#39;s hand following a swing is provided. The hand held sporting implement includes a longitudinally extending shaft having a far end, a near end and a gripping area adjacent to the near end. The device includes an elongated strap having two ends for connecting to the shaft of the hand held sporting implement. A first end of the strap is configured to engage the hand held sporting implement at the near end thereof. A second end of the strap is configured to engage the hand held sporting implement at a point along the shaft thereof. The strap also includes a mid-portion extending between the first and second ends. The strap is positioned with a 180° twist relative to the hand held sporting implement. Once the strap has been secured to the hand held sporting implement, the user slips his non-dominant hand between the gripping area and the strap, then turns his fingers back over the top of the strap mid-portion and grabs the gripping area of the hand held sporting implement. The dominant hand then covers the strap and gripping area together in a normal manner

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device, system and method for abatingaccidental release of a hand held sporting implement such as a baseballbat from a player's hand following a swing and more particularlypertains to preventing injuries to players and spectators frominadvertently released bats.

In a 1995 Consumer Product Safety Commission Study, it was reported thatthere are 19,500 injuries related to baseball bats recorded by hospitalsin the United States each year. There were 13 deaths related to baseballbat injuries between 1973 and 1995. Therefore, it can be appreciatedthat there exists a continuing need for a new and improved baseballbatting system for abating accidental release of a bat from a player'shand following a swing which can be used for preventing injuries toplayers and spectators from inadvertently released bats. In this regard,the present invention substantially fulfills this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an improved device, system and method forabating accidental release of a hand held sporting implement from aplayer's hand following a swing. As such, the general purpose of thepresent invention, which will be described subsequently in greaterdetail, is to provide a new and improved system for abating accidentalrelease of a hand held sporting implement, such as a baseball bat, froma player's hand following a swing and a method which has all theadvantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided anew and improved device for abating accidental release of a hand heldsporting implement from a player's hand following a swing. The hand heldsporting implement includes a longitudinally extending shaft having afar end, a near end and a gripping area adjacent to the near end. Thedevice comprises an elongated strap having two ends for connecting tothe shaft of the hand held sporting implement. A first end of the strapis configured to engage the hand held sporting implement at the near endthereof. A second end of the strap is configured to engage the hand heldsporting implement at a point along the shaft between the near end andfar end. The strap also includes a mid-portion extending between thefirst and second ends of the strap. A rear surface of the first end ofthe strap engages the near end of the hand held sporting implement suchthat the mid-portion of the strap extends from the first end in adirection away from the far end of the hand held sporting implement. Therear surface of the second end of the strap engages the shaft such thatthe mid-portion of the strap extends from the second end in a directiontoward the near end of the hand held sporting implement such that thestrap has a 180° twist therein. According to one preferred embodiment,the strap is leather. Means for securing the first and second ends ofthe strap to the near end and shaft, respectively, of the hand heldsporting implement are also provided. A plurality of holes are disposedalong lateral edges of the first and second ends of the strap and lacesthreaded through the holes for securing the first and second ends of thestrap to the hand held sporting implement. According to one preferredembodiment of the present invention, the laces are leather. Furthermeans for adjusting the length of the mid-portion of the strap relativeto the gripping area may also be provided. According to one embodimentof the invention, the adjusting means comprises a leather lace which iswrapped around the mid-portion of the strap and the gripping area of thesporting implement to adjust the length of the strap for users ofvarying size.

According to another aspect of the invention, a system for abatingaccidental release of a hand held sporting implement from a player'shand following a swing is provided. The system includes a hand heldsporting implement and an elongated strap. The hand held sportingimplement has a longitudinally extending shaft having a far end and anear end. A gripping area is provided along the longitudinal shaft ofthe implement adjacent to the near end. The elongated strap has a firstend configured to engage the hand held sporting implement at the nearend thereof. A second end of the strap is configured to engage the handheld sporting implement at a point along the shaft between the near andfar ends thereof. The strap also includes a mid-portion extendingbetween the first and second ends of the strap. A rear surface of thefirst end of the strap engages the near end of the hand held sportingimplement such that the mid-portion of the strap extends from the firstend in a direction away from the far end of the hand held sportingimplement. The rear surface of the second end of the strap engages theshaft such that the mid-portion of the strap extends from the second endin a direction toward the near end of the hand held sporting implementsuch that the strap has a 180° twist therein. According to one preferredembodiment, the strap is leather. Means for securing the first andsecond ends of the strap to the near end and shaft, respectively, of thehand held sporting implement are also provided. A plurality of holes aredisposed along lateral edges of the first and second ends of the strapand laces threaded through said holes for securing the first and secondends of the strap to the hand held sporting implement. According to onepreferred embodiment of the present invention, the laces are leather.Further means for adjusting the length of the mid-portion of the straprelative to the gripping area may also be provided. According to oneembodiment of the invention, the adjusting means comprises a leatherlace which is wrapped around the mid-portion of the strap and thegripping area of the sporting implement to adjust the length of thestrap for users of varying size.

According to one preferred embodiment, the hand held sporting implementis a baseball bat comprising a far end, a near end, a generallycylindrical hitting area adjacent to the far end, a generallycylindrical gripping area adjacent to the near end, a taperingtransition zone between the far and near ends, and a knob of a shortaxial length at the near end. The elongated strap includes a frontsurface and a rear surface, wherein the rear surface of the first end ofthe strap engages the near end of the baseball bat at the knob. Themid-portion of the strap extends from the first end in a direction awayfrom the far end of the baseball bat. The rear surface of the second endof the strap engages the bat in the tapering transition zone. Themid-portion of the strap extends from said second end in a directiontoward the near end of the baseball bat such that the strap has a 180°twist therein. A means for adjusting the length of the mid-portion ofthe strap relative to the gripping area is also provided which comprisesan adjustment lace configured to be secured around the gripping area ofthe bat and the mid-portion of the strap at a longitudinal positionbetween said tapering transition zone and said near end.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method forsecuring an elongated strap to a hand held sporting implement isprovided to abate accidental release of the sporting implement from aplayer's hand following a swing. According to this aspect of theinvention, a rear face of the first end of an elongated strap is securedto the near end of the hand held sporting implement such that themid-portion of the strap extends from the first end in a direction awayfrom the far end of the hand held sporting implement. The second end ofthe elongated strap is then rotated 180°. A rear face of the second endof the elongated strap is then secured to the shaft of the hand heldsporting implement at a point between the near end and said far end ofthe sporting implement, such that a mid-portion of the strap extendsbetween the first end and second end along the gripping area of the handheld sporting implement. The securing steps according to one aspect ofthe invention are accomplished by tightening laces which are lacedthrough holes in outer lateral edges of the first and second ends of thestrap to tightly secure the strap to the sporting implement Once thestrap is secured onto the hand held sporting implement, the user insertshis or her non-dominant hand between the hand held sporting implementand the strap. The user then turns the fingers of the non-dominant handback over the front surface of the strap and grips the gripping area ofthe hand held sporting implement. The dominant hand is then used to gripthe sporting implement at a point between the non-dominant hand and thefar end of the sporting implement. According to one further aspect ofthe invention, an adjustment lace may be secured about the mid-portionof the strap and gripping area of the sporting implement.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved baseball batting system for abating accidental release of a batfrom a player's hand following a swing which has all the advantages ofthe prior art baseball bat grip accessories and none of thedisadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved baseball batting system for abating accidental release of a batfrom a player's hand following a swing which may be easily andefficiently manufactured and marketed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved baseball batting system for abating accidental release of a batfrom a player's hand following a swing which is of durable and reliableconstruction.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved baseball batting system for abating accidental release of a batfrom a player's hand following a swing which is susceptible of a lowcost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and whichaccordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consumingpublic, thereby making such a baseball batting system for abatingaccidental release of a bat from a player's hand following a swingeconomically available to the buying public.

Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a newand improved baseball batting system for abating accidental release of abat from a player's hand following a swing for preventing injuries toplayers and spectators from inadvertently released bats.

Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved baseball batting system for abating accidental release of a batfrom a player's hand following a swing.

These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood by referring to the followingdetailed description, drawings and claims, wherein examples of thepresently preferred embodiments are given for purposes of illustrationand disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those setforth above will become apparent when consideration is given to thefollowing detailed description thereof. Such description makes referenceto the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of one preferred embodiment ofthe invention shown without the laces.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the invention illustrating thepositioning of the device relative to the gripping area of the baseballbat.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the butt end of the strap connected tothe near end of the baseball bat.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the connection between the barrel end ofthe strap and the tapering transition zone of the bat.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the invention with a left handshown inserted through the strap.

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of the invention with a left handshown inserted through the strap and the right hand also gripping thebat handle and strap according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment ofthe invention with both hands shown inserted through the strap.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment ofthe invention with both hands shown inserted through the strap andgripping the golf club handle and strap.

The same reference numerals refer to the same parts through the variousFigures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular, to FIG. 1thereof, the preferred embodiment of the new device and system forabating accidental release of a sporting implement from a player's handfollowing a swing embodying the principles and concepts of the presentinvention will be described. In its broadest context, the device can beused in connection with any hand held sporting implement such as abaseball bat, tennis racket, golf club, hockey stick, and the like. Thedevice could also be used in conjunction with hand held swinging toolssuch as axes, hammers, and the like. As shown in the drawings accordingto one preferred embodiment, the system 10 consists of a baseball bat 20and a strap member 30.

The bat 20 has a near end 21, a far end 22 and a generally cylindricalhitting area adjacent to the far end. The hitting area has a diameter ofbetween about two and three inches. The bat has a generally cylindricalgripping area 23 adjacent to the near end 21. The gripping area is alsocommonly referred to as the handle of the bat. The diameter of thegripping area is between about ¾ inch and 11/4 inch. The bat has atapering transition zone 24 between the near and far ends. The bat alsohas a knob 25 of a short axial length at the near end. The knob has adiameter between about 13/4 and 21/4 inches.

The strap member 30 is fabricated of a one piece construction fromflexible, non-stretchable material. In the preferred embodiment theattachment member is fabricated of leather. In alternate embodiments theattachment member is fabricated of cotton, nylon or other stretchresistant natural or woven fabric material.

According to the embodiment shown in the Figures, the strap member 30has a front surface 30 a and a rear surface 30 b and includes a first orbutt end 31 configured to engage the hand held sporting implement at thenear end thereof, a second or barrel end 32 configured to engage thehand held sporting implement at a point along the shaft between saidnear end and said far end, and a mid-portion 33 extending between saidfirst end 31 and said second end 32. As shown in FIG. 1, the butt end 31of the strap 30 engages the bat 20 in the region where the gripping area23 meets the knob 25. The barrel end 32 of the strap 30 engages the bat20 in the tapering transition zone 24 just beyond the gripping area 23.

The first strap end 31 is secured to the bat 20 at the near end 21thereof by engaging a rear surface 31 b of the first strap end 31 suchthat the mid-portion 33 of the strap 30 extends from said first bat end21 in a direction away from the far bat end 22. According to onepreferred embodiment, a butt lace 34 is threaded through a plurality ofholes 35 disposed along lateral edges of the first strap end and wrappedaround the gripping area 23 to removably secure the first strap end 31to the bat 20. As best seen in FIG. 3, two set of holes 35 a, 35 b aredisposed along the lateral edges of the butt strap end 31 and the buttlace 34 is threaded through the first set of holes 35 a and then thesecond set of holes 35 b. After the first set of holes 35 a is threaded,a tight first loop knot is tied in the butt lace 34 prior to threadingthe lace through the second set of holes 35 b, and a square knot is tiedin the butt lace to cinch the butt strap end 31 to the butt bat end 21.The butt lace 34 is constructed from flexible, non-stretchable materialand according to most applications is approximately 17″ to 30″ inlength. In the preferred embodiment the attachment member is fabricatedof leather. In alternate embodiments the attachment member is fabricatedof cotton, nylon or other stretch resistant natural or woven fabricmaterial.

The barrel strap end 32 is then rotated 180° in the counter-clockwisedirection for a right handed hitter or 180° in the clockwise directionfor a left hand hitter prior to the rear surface 32 b of the barrel end32 of the strap with the bat 20 in the tapering transition zone 24. Tolocate the best positioning of the barrel end of the strap, the batterholds the bat in the normal hitting position and one inch is added tothe width of both hands. In most cases, the barrel end of the strap willengage the bat at the tapering transition zone although it is possiblethat in some situations the barrel end of the strap would engage the batin the gripping area 23. According to one preferred embodiment, a barrellace 36 is threaded through a plurality of holes 37 disposed alonglateral edges of the second strap end and wrapped around the taperingtransition zone 24 of the bat to removably secure the second strap end32 to the bat 20. As best seen in FIG. 4, five sets of holes 37 a, 37 b,37 c, 37 d and 37 e are disposed along the lateral edges of the barrelstrap end 32 and the barrel lace 36 is threaded through the first set ofholes 37 a and then the second set of holes 37 b, and so on through thelast set of holes 37 e. After each set of holes is threaded, a tightfirst loop knot is tied in the barrel lace 36 prior to threading thelace through the next set of holes. After the barrel lace 36 has beenthreaded through the last set of holes 37 e, a square knot is tied inthe barrel lace to cinch the barrel strap end 32 to the bat 20. Thebarrel lace 36 is constructed from flexible, non-stretchable materialand according to most applications is approximately 17″ to 30″ inlength. In the preferred embodiment the attachment member is fabricatedof leather. In alternate embodiments the attachment member is fabricatedof cotton, nylon or other stretch resistant natural or woven fabricmaterial.

An adjustment lace 38 is also provided to shorten the length of themid-portion of the strap as needed once the strap has been secured tothe bat. The adjustment lace 38 is configured to be secured around themid-portion 33 of the strap and the gripping area 23 of the bat at alongitudinal position between said tapering transition zone and saidnear end. The exact positioning of and use of the adjustment strapdepends on the needs of the batter. The adjustment lace 38 is securedaround the mid-portion of the strap and the bat and can be moved towardthe near end of the bat until it becomes difficult or impossible for thebatter to throw the bat. The adjustment lace 38 should be tied aroundthe bat and strap closer to the hands until the user cannot throw thebat. The strap should be snug, not loose, but not too tight on the handas to impair the batter's swing. The best way to get the right positionis by trial and error due to different hand sizes.

As shown in FIG. 5, once the strap 30 has been secured to the bat 20,the batter slips his non-dominant hand between the bat 20 and the strap30, then turns his fingers back over the top 33 a of the strapmid-portion 33 and grabs the bat 20. As shown in FIG. 6, the dominanthand then covers the strap 30 and bat 20 together in a normal manner.The batter's hands can then be moved to get the most comfortable feel ofthe bat. If the batter needs to choke up on the bat, he simply slideshis non-dominant hand, with the strap in place, up or down the grippingarea of the bat. FIGS. 5 and 6 depict use of the device by aright-handed individual. Where the device is used by a left handedindividual, the strap would be shown rotated 180° in the oppositedirection and the right hand inserted in FIG. 5 with the left handoverlaying as in FIG. 6.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show use of the strap member 30 configured for two handinsertion. The strap member 30 is shown in conjunction with a golf club40 having a near end 41, far end 42 and gripping area 43. For two handinsertion, the strap is attached to the sporting implement in the samemanner as previously described except that the second strap end 32 isattached to the shaft of the sporting implement without a 180° twist.The non-dominant hand is then inserted between the mid-portion 33 of thestrap member 30 and the gripping area 43 of the golf club 40 such thatthe rear surface 33 b rests against the back side of the hand around thewrist, passes around the hand and rests against the palm of thenon-dominant hand. The dominant hand is then inserted between themid-portion of the strap member and the gripping area of the golf clubsuch that the upper surface 33 a of the strap member mid-portion 33rests against the back side of the hand around the wrist, passes aroundthe hand and rests against the palm of the non-dominant hand as it gripsthe gripping area 43 of the golf club 40 as shown in FIG. 8.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized thatthe optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, toinclude variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and themanner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent andobvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships tothose illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification areintended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modification andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modification andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinvention.

1. A device for abating accidental release of a hand held sportingimplement from a player's hand following a swing, wherein said hand heldsporting implement includes a longitudinally extending shaft having afar end, a near end and a gripping area adjacent to said near end, saiddevice comprising: an elongated strap having a first end configured toengage the hand held sporting implement at the near end thereof, asecond end configured to engage the hand held sporting implement at apoint along the shaft between said near end and said far end, and amid-portion extending between said first end and said second end; meansfor securing said first end of said device to the near end of the handheld sporting implement; means for securing said second end of saiddevice to the shaft of the hand held sporting implement.
 2. The deviceof claim 1 wherein said elongated strap includes a front surface and arear surface, wherein the rear surface of the first end of the strapengages the near end of the hand held sporting implement such that themid-portion of the strap extends from said first end in a direction awayfrom the far end of the hand held sporting implement, and the rearsurface of the second end of the strap engages the shaft such that themid-portion of the strap extends from said second end in a directiontoward the near end of the hand held sporting implement such that thestrap has a 180° twist therein.
 3. The device of claim 1 wherein themeans for securing comprises a plurality of holes disposed along lateraledges of the first and second ends of the strap and laces threadedthrough said holes for securing said first and second ends of the strapto the hand held sporting implement.
 4. The device of claim 3 whereinthe strap is leather.
 5. The device of claim 4 wherein the laces areleather.
 6. The device of claim 1 further comprising means for adjustingthe length of the mid-portion of the strap relative to the grippingarea.
 7. A system for abating accidental release of a hand held sportingimplement from a player's hand following a swing comprising: a hand heldsporting implement comprising a longitudinally extending shaft having afar end, a near end and a gripping area adjacent to said near end; anelongated strap having a first end configured to engage the hand heldsporting implement at the near end thereof, a second end configured toengage the hand held sporting implement at a point along the shaftbetween said near end and said far end, and a mid-portion extendingbetween said first end and said second end; means for securing saidfirst end of said device to the near end of the hand held sportingimplement; means for securing said second end of said device to theshaft of the hand held sporting implement.
 8. The system of claim 7wherein said elongated strap includes a front surface and a rearsurface, wherein the rear surface of the first end of the strap engagesthe near end of the hand held sporting implement such that themid-portion of the strap extends from said first end in a direction awayfrom the far end of the hand held sporting implement, and the rearsurface of the second end of the strap engages the shaft such that themid-portion of the strap extends from said second end in a directiontoward the near end of the hand held sporting implement such that thestrap has a 180° twist therein.
 9. The system of claim 7 wherein themeans for securing comprises a plurality of holes disposed along lateraledges of the first and second ends of the strap and laces threadedthrough said holes for securing said first and second ends of the strapto the hand held sporting implement.
 10. The system of claim 9 whereinthe strap is leather.
 11. The system of claim 10 wherein the laces areleather.
 12. The system of claim 7 wherein the hand held sportingimplement is a baseball bat comprising a far end, a near end, agenerally cylindrical hitting area adjacent to the far end, a generallycylindrical gripping area adjacent to the near end, a taperingtransition zone between the far and near ends, and a knob of a shortaxial length at the near end.
 13. The system of claim 12 wherein saidelongated strap includes a front surface and a rear surface, wherein therear surface of the first end of the strap engages the near end of thebaseball bat at the knob such that the mid-portion of the strap extendsfrom said first end in a direction away from the far end of the baseballbat, and the rear surface of the second end of the strap engages the batin the tapering transition zone such that the mid-portion of the strapextends from said second end in a direction toward the near end of thebaseball bat such that the strap has a 180° twist therein.
 14. Thesystem of claim 12 further comprising means for adjusting the length ofthe mid-portion of the strap relative to the gripping area.
 15. Thesystem of claim 14 wherein said adjusting means comprises an adjustmentlace configured to be secured around the gripping area of the bat andthe mid-portion of the strap at a longitudinal position between saidtapering transition zone and said near end.
 16. A method for securing anelongated strap to a hand held sporting implement to abate accidentalrelease of the sporting implement from a player's hand following aswing, wherein said hand held sporting implement comprises alongitudinally extending shaft having a far end, a near end and agripping area adjacent to said near end, and said elongated strapcomprises a first end configured to engage the hand held sportingimplement at the near end thereof, a second end configured to engage thehand held sporting implement at a point along the shaft between saidnear end and said far end, and a mid-portion extending between saidfirst end and said second end, said method comprising: securing a rearface of the first end of an elongated strap to the near end of the handheld sporting implement such that the mid-portion of the strap extendsfrom said first end in a direction away from the far end of the handheld sporting implement; rotating the second end of the elongated strap180°; securing a rear face of the second end of the elongated strap tothe shaft of the hand held sporting implement at a point between saidnear end and said far end of the sporting implement, such that amid-portion of said strap extends between said first end and said secondend along the gripping area of the hand held sporting implement.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, further comprising the steps of: inserting anon-dominant hand between the hand held sporting implement and thestrap; turning fingers of the non-dominant hand back over the frontsurface of the strap and gripping the gripping area of the hand heldsporting implement.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising thestep of gripping the front surface of the strap and gripping area of thesporting implement with the dominant hand at a point between thenon-dominant hand and the far end of the sporting implement.
 19. Themethod of claim 16, further including the step of securing an adjustmentlace about the mid-portion of the strap and gripping area of thesporting implement.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the securingsteps are accomplished by tightening laces which are laced through holesin outer lateral edges of the first and second ends of the strap totightly secure the strap to the sporting implement.